The Stupendous SpiderMan
by Champion X
Summary: The story begins five years after Peter Parker is bitten by the radioactive spider that changed his life forever. He is now twenty years old, and balancing his job, his friends and family, his schoolwork, and his identity as Spider-Man. PLEASE R&R PLEASE
1. Chapter 1

**(Author's Note): ****Firstly I would like to beg your forgiveness for any grammar or spelling errors. I know they can be a pain in the butt to put up with (but if anyone wants to beta my work just send me a email *hint hint*). I'm kind of writing this nonstop right now and I want to get as much input on it as I can. And I hope it is blatantly obvious that I am not the creator of Spider-Man or any of the other characters I use in this story. I love these characters and wanted to do something new with them, and this is what unfolded... **

**The story begins five years after Peter Parker is bitten by the radioactive spider that changed his life forever. He is now twenty years old, and balancing his job, his friends and family, his schoolwork, and his identity as Spider-Man. I take it on faith that I'm doing some new an interesting things with our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, and I hope you enjoy it. **

**We begin with the retelling of the origins of Venom...  
**

Peter stood atop the Empire State Building gripping his mask in his hands. Blood, still wet on his suit, slowly dripped down towards the concrete below. He leaned forward as the winds around him grew stronger. For a moment, for just a split second, he thought about letting go. He thought about dropping, about plummeting to the concrete below, about ending everything he felt, everything he hated and loved and despised and cared for. But that's when Peter would pull himself back, stand straight, and pull the mask back over his face.

The blood on his suit, though intimidating, wasn't his. A ricochet had struck the shoulder of a criminal in front of him, spraying blood on the abdomen of Peter's costume. Crouching, Peter leapt into the air and went into freefall. The world began to blur and warp as he gained speed, rapidly approaching terminal velocity. Spinning, Peter fired two webs to break his inertia, then spun to face the ground again. He shot two more webs and began swinging at incredible speeds between the skyscrapers of New York City. Every block or so Peter would notice the flash of a camera, reminding him that he was just as much a carnival attraction as a guardian. Peter went arcing into the air and landed against a flag pole. A series of flashes erupted from the crowd and Peter shook his head. He'd thought about giving the cameras the finger so many times the thought was almost sweet on his tongue.

It had been Steve Rogers, or Captain America to the general public, who had said that the costume represented more than just a crime fighter. It represented the morals and ideals that that hero fought for, and Peter didn't want to be fighting for the right to flip people off. Instead he waved plainly then leapt off into an alleyway. Peter went leaping through a fire escape to the roof an adjacent building, landing on top of a chimney. Peter dropped down another fire escape and began to look around. Once he was positive he hadn't been followed, Peter opened a padlock on a window and climbed inside.

He peeled the suit of quickly, getting it in cold water before the blood had set in, a tip he'd gotten from both Logan and Frank Castle. Once that chore was complete, Peter fell into his couch and lifted the remote control. Peter flung an arm wildly and clicked he button to his answering machine.

There was a loud beep followed by, "Peter! Peter! Peter! Come on, man, you've gotta answer your damn phone one of these days. I don't know why your aunt keeps paying for the thing if you're never around to talk. You know, I'm going to a party tonight at this club called Hellions, and I was just saying you should probably come along since you never, ever, ever get out! Hey, I wonder how long this thing will let me recor--"

There was another loud beep. "Hey Peter, it's Gwen. Call me back, I miss you,"

An electronic voice started to speak, and Peter turned his answering machine off. Something as simple as Gwen's voice managed to put Peter in a lull. He checked the time of the message and was astonished when it had only been fifteen minutes prior. Peter shot a strand of webbing at his phone then yanked it towards him. He dialed Gwen's number then peeled the webbing away as he tried holding it to his ear. He tapped against the plastic device nervously, until finally he heard the line click.

"Hello?" Gwen sounded groggy, which made Peter feel bad.

"Hey, it's me…uh…Peter,"

"Really? I thought the ghost of friendships past was calling me," Gwen quipped.

"Leave the sarcastic comments to me Tootsie, you need wit," Peter said, leaning into his couch.

"So what have you been up to during the four days I haven't seen you?" Gwen wasted no time in asking her first question. It was something that Peter loved the most about her. "Anything spectacular or amazing,"

Peter couldn't help but grin as he lied. "No. I've just been buried in homework," It was the oldest line Peter had, but it never raised any questions.

Gwen made a sound that was half excepting and half accusing.

"Dr. Connor has me running trials, I'm always back and forth between my apartment and my lab. It's just been hectic lately. But, if you wanted I should come over to your place, I'd be more than willing," Peter said.

"Oh? Do you think I'm going to invite you over to my apartment at one-thirty in the morning?" Gwen said in a blatant tone.

"Probably not, but it was worth a shot. A guy has to go for every opportunity he is given," Peter stood to retrieve a shirt draped on the back of a chair. "So when will I have the honor of seeing you again?"

"Are you free for lunch?" Gwen asked.

Peter leaved through a notebook to mimic the sound of a schedule. "I am very free for lunch," He said, smirking.

"Well good, I'll see you at Mickey's at one o'clock sharp. I'll make reservations," Gwen said before hanging up.

Peter leap up from the top of a building and shot a web, narrowly escaping an explosion. Bullets began to fly from within the fire ball, whizzing over Peter's shoulders and head. Landing horizontal on a building wall, Peter turned towards the explosion as four figures rocketed away from it. They called themselves the Four Jacks. Strapping rocket packs on their backs, they flew about Manhattan robbing banks and armored cars. Peter had come across them twice before, and they packed a deep hat full of tricks to aid them in their getaways. Fortunately for Peter, he'd prepared to run into them that morning.

The Four Jacks made their way hastily towards the harbor, and Peter took off swinging after them. But that's when his watch began to chirp loudly. He'd almost forgotten about his date with Gwen. Peter continued his pursuit until he reached the top of the tallest building for three blocks. He looked out at the Four Jacks as they got closer and closer to the harbor, almost able to hear their taunting laughs. Peter quickly got a tracking device and fired it, but it fell short and landed on a car. Landing in a crouched position, Peter cursed silently under his breath

Turning, Peter made his way hastily across the city towards Mickey's. His wristwatch beeped again indicating that he only had five minutes before Gwen would be sitting down. Peter hurled himself over a rail, shot a web, then pulled as hard as he could. His speed doubled and he went zipping into an alleyway. Peter landed against a wall with a bit of a clap, then started to switch into his civilian cloths. He stuffed the suit into his backpack and webbed it up in a high corner where no one could get to it. Slowly Peter lowered himself to the ground and walked out onto the sidewalk. As he approached the front door of Mickey's, Peter noticed the bob of Gwen's golden blond hair. She smiled at him and waved.

"I did not think you were going to show up," Gwen said with a smile.

"Is that any way to greet a friend," Peter said. The two exchanged hugs, and Peter was once again reminded of all the little things that he loved about Gwen. She pulled away and brushed some hair behind her ear.

"Wait right here, okay?" Gwen said, disappearing behind the corner of the restaurant. When she reappeared, to Peter's dismay, a man standing about six foot four had his arm wrapped up in hers. Time slowed for Peter as the two approached, and he watched one of the few things he purely loved crumble before his very eyes.

"Peter Parker, meet Eddie Brock," Gwen said.

Eddie stretched his hand out and Peter shook it. "Good to meet you finally. You must be a very busy man," Eddie said.

Peter nodded. "Busy is, well, too light a term sometimes," The three walked into the restaurant and were seated in a booth surrounded by windows. When Gwen scooted in to the bench, Eddie followed, and wrapped an arm around Gwen's shoulder. Peter felt a flare of jealously roar up inside of him, and he did his best to keep that emotion from showing in his eyes.

"So how did you two meet?" Peter asked.

"Well, when I started working for the Manhattan Tribune, Eddie was one of the photographers there. Sort of an office romance at first until he left to work at the Daily Bugle, actually. I'm surprised you haven't heard," Gwen said.

"I haven't sold a photo to Jameson in weeks," Peter said solemnly.

"You know Pete, if you don't mind me asking, how do you get such great shots of Spider-Man," Eddie asked with a smile. It was one of Peter's most frequently asked questions, and he'd gotten quite good at dodging them.

"One part luck, one part dumb luck, and the fact that I never leave the house without my camera," Peter said. "I've just been lucky,"

"Word around the office is that you two know each other and he's giving you some kind of deal or something," Eddie took up his water glass and sipped from it slowly. "Any validity to that rumor?"

Peter laughed. "Not in the least. I don't even know what his voice sounds like," Peter fidgeted nervously.

"That's too bad, I'd love to do an interview sometime. Do you know how much that would mean to the Tribune, an interview with Spider-Man, Manhattan's saving grace," Gwen's eyes shined a little as she spoke. Her passion was one of Peter's favorite things. One of the things he loved the most. One of the things he was sure Eddie also loved about Gwen.

"Your ambitions are great and many young one," Peter said.

Eddie's cell phone began to ring wildly and he smirked. "It's the Bugle, I better take this," Eddie stood and began to wander to a quieter part of the restaurant.

"So what do you think of him?" Gwen asked.

"He seems nice. Hard to gauge any deep sense of personal knowledge from only ten minutes of talking," Peter began to play with a sugar packet nervously. "So I take it you like him,"

Gwen nodded, unable to respond immediately because of her drink. "I do, I like him a lot. He's a lot of fun, and so sweet, and nice, and kind, and--" That's when Peter's phone began ringing. It was the Bugle as well. Peter shook his head a little then flipped his phone open.

"Hello?" Peter said.

"Parker! Where've you been?"

"Uh--"

"Don't worry. Hey, I need you to get down here right away, we've got a big event this evening and I need every photographer. Hurry!" Jameson's voice was raw and coarse, he'd been yelling all day.

Peter turned to Gwen. "I um…I have to go," Peter said just as Eddie returned to the table.

"I assume you got the same panicked call from Jonah that I did. Sorry babe, looks like our photo taking capabilities are needed," Eddie leaned in and gave Gwen a goodbye kiss.

Once in the lobby of the Bugle, Peter was able to grasp the true chaos of the situation. People ran in every directions, reporters dashed about, photographers readied their gear. Peter and Eddie went walking up a small circle which had formed around J. Jonah Jameson, editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle.

"Okay, we just got this tip about twenty minutes ago, but allegedly the space shuttle 'The Contender' is going to be landing just ten miles from the coast of New York City, and this is the place they will be arriving. I want everyone on the coast now, and I want communication people, we need to cover this like white on rice!" Jonah spat as he talked, pointing his fingers and cigar at everyone who locked eyes with him. As the group began breaking up, Jonah turned back to them and shouted "Parker! Brock! Front and center,"

The two looked at each other then walked nervously up to Jonah. "You two are my best photographers. I need you two to be snapping shots that are going to sell newspapers damn it," Jonah grabbed two heavy looking black bags and handed one to both Peter and Eddie. "This is state of the art in both digital and film. If you two can't take good pictures with this then all hope is lost. And there's a hell of a bonus in for the one who gets the best shot," Jonah turned back to his desk and started going through papers.

Eddie and Peter made their way to the elevators, each rummaging through the bags that Jonah had given them. Peter was astonished at the equipment he saw, which must've cost the Bugle at least ten thousand dollars, if not more.

"This is like the gig bag of my dreams," Eddie attached a lens to the main part of the camera and began to peer through it. "So where do you think we should set up," Eddie asked.

Peter shifted nervously. Not only was Eddie dating the girl of his dreams, but he also wanted to be best friends apparently. "Don't you think it'd be better if we split up? One of us takes the north and one of us takes the south," Peter tried to suggest this as tentatively as he could. He didn't want to make waves with Gwen's new boyfriend.

"That's all well and good, but we could also…" Eddie's voice trailed off as he went through his own personal shoulder bag. With a smile he pulled a small, black transistor radio out. "…Just listen to the police scanner and wait for the distress call to come out from the space shuttle. It'll broadcast over all emergency stations,"

Peter smiled and started shaking his head. "You take all the fun out of the hunt, don't you?"

"Come on, I know the best spot to wait," Eddie said.

The two left the Bugle in as big a hurry as their parcels would allow, making their way down Broadway to a small coffee shop. As Eddie talked about how delicious the pastries were at the Mud Hut, a small device in Peter's back pocket began to chirp. It was alerting him that there was a crime that needed his attention. Peter stopped walked and silenced the little pager, then pulled it free from his pocket. It was a message from the Avengers.

"Eddie, I'm sorry, you have no idea how sorry, but I've got to go," Peter said quickly. He shuffled some things around in his hand as he began to respond to the message he'd received.

"What's going on?" Eddie asked a little too inquisitively.

"It's my Aunt. She needs me back the house, kind of a personal matter. You understand, don't you?" Peter said. Eddie started nodding.

"Need me to hail you a cab or something?"

"No, no. I'll get there just fine," Peter said with a grin. He and Eddie shook hands and Eddie continued his journey to the Mud Hut.


	2. Chapter 2

Peter waited patiently in the alleyway in which he'd responded to Steve Rogers' message. He told them that he didn't have an outfit with him, but it apparently didn't matter. A red car began driving down towards Peter, and when it stopped Steve Rogers stepped out of the driver's seat. "We'd better hurry, this is big,"

Peter climbed into the car to find Tony Stark and Hank Pym sitting in the back seats. Tony was fully suited in his Iron Man armor, and Hank was also dressed in uniform. When Steve got into the car the pulled the mask down over his head and began flipping suits. Tony held up a finger, reached down into a compartment, then handed Peter a small bundle of clothes. It was an exact replica of his costume.

"So what seems to be the trouble?" Peter said as he began to swap outfits.

"About an hour ago we get a call from SHIELD. Apparently the space shuttle 'the Contender' has run into some trouble upon reentry," Steve explained quickly.

"Trouble that requires our help?" Peter asked.

"Allegedly something tried to board the shuttle," Steve said grimly.

"Are we actually going out into outer space? Because I still haven't renewed my passport yet," Peter quipped.

"No, the shuttle's making it's entry as we speak. We're monitoring it with our tracking systems and we're going to accompany it to the ground," Tony piped in, his voice echoing through the speakers in his suit.

The car rumbled once or twice as it began to transform into something capable of flight. The front tipped up and slowly it began to soar quietly into the clouds. A beeping come from a small map grew more and more frequent.

"We're approaching the shuttle, I'm going to break away," Tony said. A hatch in front of Tony's seat slid open and he dropped out of the car. It shook slightly to the right, where Tony had been sitting, and Steve cursed quietly as he corrected the car's course through the air.

"I've got to ask, do we know anything about what tried to board the shuttle?" Peter asked.

"All we know for sure is that something hit the side of the shuttle without really damaging it, for about twenty minutes the power went out, then everything returned to normal. But two of the five astronauts are sick now," Steve said before he pointed.

Peter looked forward and saw the space shuttle hurdling forward at breakneck speeds. Tony went zipping past the car towards the shuttle, flying alongside it, equaling it's speed. One of the five engines in the back went from red hot to dark quickly, then began spewing smoke. A second engine went out.

"I think the power failures are back," Peter said, pushing himself up higher on the seat. "Does that thing have an escape pod or something that can break away?"

"I'm looking into it," Steve grabbed a hold of a radio's transmitter and pushed a few buttons. "Contender, Contender, this is the Avengers. Are your emergency systems still operational?" There was nothing but static when Steve released the button on the transmitter's side.

"Do you think you can stick onto the side of something moving that fast?" Hank asked as he began moving around in the back seat of their transport.

Peter cringed. "Yeah, do you want me to go see if I can get a door open or something?"

"That'd be great," Hank responded.

"Why do I have to do it?" Peter protested.

"Because you're the only one that can stick to walls. Look, Tony is out there too and he'll help you get the astronauts to safety. Because if there emergency systems went out then they're just going to turn into heaps of rubble like the rest of the shuttle," Hank said.

Peter growled a little bit then folded the back of his seat down. "Where do I exit?" He asked.

Hank smiled, then pressed a few buttons on a control panel. A hatch in the roof began to slowly open. Winds whipped through the car as Steve got the car closer to the space shuttle. Peter crawled out onto the roof and matted his hands and feet flat against the surfaces. He was barely able to keep a hold. Steve got as close as he could without actually hitting the shuttle. Peter took a long breath to calm himself down, then leapt forward to the shuttle. Peter skidded back a few feet when he landed, but he managed to cling to the surface of the space shuttle. Slowly Peter managed to crawl up to the front of the space shuttle. However, when Peter tried to peer in, the glass was completely black. Peter went over to the entrance hatch and began to twist at the latch.

A black spike, long enough to pierce Peter's shoulder, narrowly missed him, causing Peter to slide away from the door. Spike after spike began firing up from within the shuttle, pushing Peter further away from the entrance hatch. Peter moved closer to the engines on the back of the shuttle, too close for his taste. A chirp sounded in Peter's ear, taking him by surprise.

"I'm coming in to help," Tony's voice said quickly, clear through the wild winds going past Peter's ears.

Peter dodged two more spikes as they fired up from within the space shuttle. "Whatever this is," Peter began, unsure if anyone was listening. "It doesn't seem to too thrilled that I'm here," Two more spikes moved Peter to the edge of the shuttle. That's when a third plunged through the armor plating. To dodge it Peter leapt from the shuttle entirely. Fear paralyzed his throat, making it unable for him to scream. Peter was happy for that, he didn't want his super-hero peers to listen to him cry as he plummeted to his death. Peter clenched his eyes shut, unaware that Tony was swooping in quickly to rescue him. Catching Peter by one of his arms, Tony landed Peter back on the transport vehicle then flew off.

"So much for the direct approach," Peter said, poking his head back into the vehicle. "Anyone have a Plan B laying around here?"

"I do," Steve said grimly. "Hank, take the wheel. Peter, I'll need you to help keep me on the shuttle," Steve pulled a few things from a compartment next to the pilot's seat free, then slowly pulled himself onto the roof of the transport. Steve slipped casings around his boots and gloves, slips of magnetized metal that Reed Richards had designed. They were durable and light weight, ideal for Steve's current situation.

Peter shot several strands of webbing, making it strong enough to hold Steve's weight, in addition to the velocity of the shuttle itself. Steve tied the webbing off around and began to tug himself towards the shuttle when a black spike rocketed out near the area the webbing was connected. The spike suddenly went from solid to liquid and began to lash at the webbing, slicing it away at the base. The webbing went slack and Steve began to sail away. Peter leapt quickly, grabbed hold of the webbing still attached to Steve, then fired his own strand back at the transport vehicle. The stress put on Peter's shoulders was immense, and he wheezed as the air was pulled from his body. Peter managed to mash the two strands of webbing together and he began pulling both Steve and himself back towards the vehicle.

"Got any more ideas?" Peter asked as he got Steve back on the transport.

"I've got one," Tony said quickly as he flew up next to Steve and Peter. "I can shut down the engines from here, and if Peter can make strong enough strands of webbing, my suit and this car should be able to coast this thing to the a fairly safe landing,"

Peter turned to Steve. "It's better than anything I've got,"

"Lets do it," Steve said as he crawled back into the car. Peter turned to Tony, soaring along side him quickly. Hank maneuvered the flying car through the air gracefully until it was behind and above the space shuttle. Peter began working on lashing the car to the shuttle. He fired strand after strand of webbing, laying them intricately for the most strength possible. As soon as Peter thought it was ready, he tied it off on the flying car and got to work on the one that would cling to Tony. Flying into place, Peter secured it to the front of Tony's torso, then he went back to the top of the car.

Tony flew off, pointing both hands at the shuttle before him. The remaining working engines began to flicker, slowly loosing their power. They faded into nothingness and Peter felt the car shake wildly as the shuttle fell towards the ground. The earth grew closer rapidly, and a knot of fear twisted tensely in Peter's stomach. The car rumbled once or twice, quaking as the thrusters pushed harder and harder. Peter saw Tony's boots clanking together as he pushed his systems harder to keep the shuttle from breaking into a million pieces upon impact. As things on the ground grew more focused, Peter crawled back into the car and bucked a seatbelt around his chest.

"I was wondering when you were gonna do that?" Hank said, his hands shaking as the steering wheel rumbled. "We're coming in a little hot. But we should land somewhat safely,"

"Somewhat? I don't like that word," Peter grabbed hold of the handles around him. "The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout," Peter mumbled lightly, keeping rhythm with his fingers and toes.

The nose of the car tipped upwards, facing the sky, the thrusters rumbling manically. Hank began to groan as he held on to the steering wheel, keeping the car from falling forward. Then, suddenly, there was a loud bang and all the vibrations ceased. The car tipped forward, hovering above the ground, and the three inside looked down on the smoldering space shuttle. They'd managed to land the space shuttle in the ocean, avoiding a nasty halt on the ground which could've led to civilian casualties. Peter climbed out onto the roof of the car and looked down at the bobbing shuttle.

"Should we go see if anyone is alive?" Peter asked.

Steve climbed out of the car next. "You'd better believe it," Steve leapt from their car down to the space shuttle and landed with a clank. Immediately the black tentacles made their way towards him, lashing at Steve's legs. Peter crouched down then jumped forward. He landed on the shuttle and quickly dodged a swinging black tentacle.

"What is this stuff?" Peter yelled out as he let one tentacle slip past him.

"No idea, but it sure is giving me a good workout," Steve jumped up and slammed his shield against the hatch of the shuttle. The latch gave way and suddenly the door flung open. A wisp of black smoke was released into the air, followed by a stream of what appeared to be black ooze. Steven took several steps back, making sure to avoid it.

A white gloved hand burst through the surface, followed by an arm and shoulder of an astronaut. Peter fired a strand of webbing and began to tug the man from the shuttle. Peter tossed the strand to Steve and shot another when the second arm rose from the ooze. Tony flew in low and dipped something in the ooze, then set it in a compartment on his suit. Peter followed suit, and scooped some of the ooze into a vial he carried with him. He was sure not to get any on his hands, and tore part of his suit off to wipe the vial clean before storing it in his pocket. A third arm leap out of the ooze, but this one was covered in writhing black strands. Suddenly the astronaut, covered in the black ooze, leapt from the open latch and went running at Peter.

Crouching, Peter grabbed hold of the astronaut's arm and leapt up into the air. He shot a strand of webbing at the car hovering in the air, tied the astronaut's arm off on it, then let him go. The astronaut dangled for a moment until Hank began to pull him up. Peter fired another line of webbing at the car and swung on it himself as the creature lashed at his feet. Steve pulled his shield off of his back and hurled it at the creature. It clanked against the creature's ribcage and stuck. Slowly turning, the beast roared viciously. There was an ominous humming sound and Steve turned towards the car. Peter lowered a length of webbing down on to him and Steve began to climb upwards.

Tony pulled both his arms back, his palms glowing an intense shade of blue. When he threw his hands forward, Tony released a beam of repulsor energy that knocked the creature into the water. Instantly it began to thrash manically until it got back onto the shuttle.

"Tony!" Peter yelled out. "Hit it once more!"

"I'm afraid I'll hurt the astronaut inside that stuff," Tony responded.

"Just do it," Peter said, readying himself.

Tony fired another repulsor beam of the same strength once more. When the beam hit the creature, the ooze splashed away from the astronaut. Peter jumped down, fired webbing down to land on, then grabbed the astronaut under the arm. Peter tossed the astronaut up into the air and Steve managed to grab hold of him. Peter shot a strand of webbing up into the air, but before he had a chance to jump the ooze caught hold of Peter's feet.

"Tony, could you give me a quick tug here," Peter said as calmly as he could. Tony flew of and grabbed hold of the line of webbing, then began to pull on it. Peter could feel his ankles and knees strain as Tony tried to pull him free from the ooze that held him. Tony let go for a moment and held his hand out. After firing a weak repulsor beam at the ooze, Tony managed to pull Peter free from it's grasp.

A long tentacle crawled from the hatch and began to wrap around the shuttle. Slowly it began to tighten, crippling the steel under immense pressure. The shuttle began to sink into the ocean, no longer held by it's floatation devices.

Peter turned to Hank. "I would love it if you started flying away right now,"

Hank was instructed by Nick Fury of SHIELD to bring all three astronauts to the helicarrier. The medical facilities SHIELD employed were the best on the planet. Once they landed the car a squad of men wrapped up in plastic suits took each astronaut away, and Nick Fury walked out from behind a sliding door. With a cigar stuck in his teeth, Nick smirked.

"Is everyone okay?" He asked.

"Yep," Steve responded, tugging the mask from his face.

"I need you guys to go down for the press. Let them know that everything is okay," Nick said.

"You're telling me we have to go play publicist now for the this whole mess?" Tony said angrily. "Come on Fury, you've got people to do that,"

"The public wants to see you. They don't want some suit standing behind a podium regurgitating some lame speech. They want to see the heroes that saved the astronauts," Nick turned and began following after the squads carrying the astronauts. "You'd better hurry, I told them you were on their way.

The flight back to Manhattan was a silent one. No one wanted to speak, saving their breath and voices for the onslaught of questions that was waiting for them. Hank set the car to hover five feet above the ground and the four heroes jumped down to the ground. A loud, almost deafening cheer roared up amongst the crowd. As the roar died down, reporters began raising their hands and Steve pointed at one.

"Were there any casualties?"

Steve shook his head. "No, all the astronauts were alive and well. They've been taken to a hospital which is going to remain unnamed,"

"What caused the crash landing?"

Tony stepped forward. "During orbit the shuttle must've been struck by a small amount of space debris, there was a fracture in the shields on the rear of the shuttle. When, upon reentry, it began to open, and the heat caused the navigational systems to short out. We were called in to land the shuttle safely,"

Peter looked out into the crowd and, to his astonishment, saw Gwen standing against the barrier waving her hand. Peter pointed towards her.

Gwen smiled. "Spider-Man! Spider-Man! I have two questions if that's alright?" Peter nodded in response, and Gwen looked down at her notepad quickly. "My first question is; were there any links to the Hand or Dr. Doom?"

Peter began shaking his head. "This was more of a random statistical anomaly that got a little outta hand,"

"Okay, well then, my second question is; would you like to do an interview for the Tribune?" Gwen smiled at Peter a little bit.

"Sure," The word fell out of Peter's mouth before his brain gave approval to speak it. He was happy he was wearing a full face mask, that way the world wouldn't see the shocked expression on his face. Gwen's smile grew so wide it reached both earlobes. "Wanna do one right now?" Peter asked. Gwen began to nod quickly, fishing a tape recorder from her purse. Peter walked forward and held out his hand.

The two wandered off towards and alleyway when a group of reports began to chase after their. Peter turned to Gwen. "Do you want to go somewhere a little more private?"

"Um…yeah,"

"Oh, we'll have to use my method of travel to get there. Are you afraid of heights?"

Gwen shook her head, a smile growing beneath her button nose. "This is going to be awesome," She said softly.

Peter wrapped Gwen's arms around his neck and crouched down. "I'd lift your feet off the ground now," The moment Gwen was laying on Peter's back, he jumped up into the air. Gwen wrapped her legs around Peter's waist to hold on, and Peter's heart leapt into his throat and stayed there. He bounced between the walls of the alley until he got to the roof one building. Once there he began to run. As Peter gained speed, he began to lean forward. Peter jumped forward, hurtled the two over a narrower alleyway, then shot a strand of webbing out onto the wall of an adjacent building. Peter swung the two of them up to the peak of the arc then let go. He tipped forward and began to hear Gwen moan as they looked down. They were easily twenty stories in the air, and Peter had picked up a great amount of speed in just one swing. Peter snapped a second length of webbing onto the wall of another building and swung them further away from the chaos surrounding the press meeting.

Peter landed against a wall and began to run up it as quickly as he could. Once he neared the top, he put his hand out and flipped them around, landing on the roof in a crouched position. "I think this is secluded enough. There's only one entrance and it looks like it has a hefty lock on it," Peter set Gwen down and she took a few wobbly steps towards the edge of the building.

In a daze, Gwen pulled out her digital audio recorder and pressed the record button. "Okay, we're on top of a tall building in the Upper West Side. My name is Gwen Stacy, and with me is our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. My first question is, obviously, how did you come across these powers?"

"Well, as much as I want to share the details concerning my origins, it's kind of sensitive information and there are names involved I don't think I'm legally allowed to say," Peter said.

"Fair enough. How old are you?" Stacy asked.

That was another question that Peter didn't want to answer, so he decided to answer dishonestly instead. "I'm twenty-five," In all honesty Peter was only twenty, but he had to keep the two identities as separate as possible.

"Where did you grow up?"

"Queens,"

"Do you know Reed Richards?"

"Yes?"

"When you fought against the Rhino, what made you think to electrocute him?"

"The Rhino is a very strong character with very few flaws in his armor. But, like all living creatures, he has a beating heart that is vulnerable to electricity,"

"How many hours a day are you suited up and fighting crime?"

"I go for five hours, every now and then it spills over into my free time though,"

Gwen laughed. "Will you ever go public like some of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four?"

"Probably not. I've made a lot of enemies doing what I do and there are people that I would never want hurt because of that," Peter spoke to Gwen as though there were no mask covering his face, and for a moment it was like Gwen could see through to his eyes.

"Do you regret your decision to become a crime fighter?"

"There are days that are harder than others. But when I go to sleep each night, or morning in some cases, I know that I've done something to make a difference with the gift I've been given. Even though it can feel like a curse sometimes,"

Gwen's cell phone began to ring, but she silenced it. "I can only ask one more question then you should probably take me back down to ground level,"

"Your boss?" Peter asked.

"No, my boyfriend," Gwen said, and it was like a knife made of ice went through Peter's spirit.

"Oh. Well, ask away then. We don't want to keep the gentlemen waiting,"

"You put your life on the line every time you put on the costume and there are people in this city that want to imprison you for what you're doing. What keeps you from telling them off or proving to them your worth by taking a week or two off?"

"The good I'm doing outdoes the negative comments my critics have to say about me. As much fun as they are read and listen to, I just don't have the time or energy to invest in some kind of personal vendetta with any of these people. They're below me," There was a beat of awkward silence after Gwen turned off her digital audio recorder. "I guess I should get you on the ground,"

Gwen nodded a few times and Peter scooped her up in one arm. He ran towards the edge of the building then jumped. Gwen screamed loudly and trashed a little, nearly breaking Peter's hold on her. He tightened his grip and fired a strand of webbing up into the air. It stuck against the wall of the building and the two slowed to a steady pace that was much more comfortable for Gwen. Peter set her on the ground, waved, then sprung back up into the air before any other members of the press got to the scene.


End file.
